Alexa

loved the jen/pacey moment on the table.

dawson reading joey's diary was so wrong.

Jen was pretty irritating in this episode. I don't like her drinking and hanging out with abby and going back to her old ways. her scheming to get dawson back after her being so kind to joey last season was frustrating to watch.

i felt bad for pacey and that people forgot, but dawson just made a mistake. pacey's self deprecating attitude is starting to get a little irritating.

pacey/andie were the best part of the episode, love their banter. and her getting him a gift was sweet.

Mirabell

That made me sad. Because… you know.

Great episode!
But this episode isn't Dawsons' finest hour.
First, he forgot Paceys birthday. That is a big deal because it means so much for Pacey, and Dawson should know that. But Dawson has not even the slightest clue how bad Paceys family really was, hasn’t he?

And of course, reading Joeys journal. Reading a diary without permission is a horrible deed, and reading the diary from your girlfriend is even worse. And then his attitude “oh, that’s not a big deal – but YOU horrible person have hurt my feelings.” That’s a real huge betrayal of confidence, and on Joey’s behalf, I wouldn’t have forgiven him so easily.
But when they’re kissing in the rain, it is really a great scene, I think, that is one of their best moments in general.

And all of them let Jen down. That includes Pacey who is too busy feeling sorry for himself instead of living up to his usual shining-knight-in-armor-syndrome. And that includes Dawson who could have reached her, but ignored her - because he was too busy telling everybody about HIS big problems.
Easy game for Abby, and we know, how horrible this will end. For everybody.

The best part in this episode are the McPhees. Jack is one of my favorite characters, and his scenes are adorable.
And Andie is just cute. I really had a laugh when Andie introduced herself to Joey as “a friend of Pacey Witter” at the beginning of the episode. I mean, that was …. REALLY optimistic at this point.
But it is nice to see that she didnt' give up on him, even when Pacey was not exactly nice to her, and their banter... priceless.

ChristinaL80

I agree, Dawson forgetting Pacey's birthday was awful. This wasn't a good episode for the character of Dawson. The whole diary thing wasn't one of his finer moments, either. But I have to also agree, the DJ rain scene was one of their last scenes that I really liked.

rossfangirl86

Had mixed feelings about this episode as well. Dawson reading Joey's diary was wrong and a bit out of character, imo. I guess it was there to cause conflict in the DJo relationship? It felt forced to me since they always respected each other in s1. And no, it wasn't a good episode for him in general being that he also forgot Pacey's birthday. That also felt out of character but it's something that does happen when people get involved in relationships. I get that Pacey was upset but he was a bit harsh on Dawson. All that said, the Dawson/Pacey scene at the end was so so great and one of my favorites of theirs. I like that he realized how much he hurt Pacey and was sorry for it. That's what I like about his character, when he's wrong, he admits it and tries to fix it. I also liked the "Kiss the Rain" scene even though it isn't the same without the original song. The DJo moment on the dock was sweet and it was nice to hear Joey say that she saved the truth for him. That was the best of their scenes in this episode, imo.

Loved the Pacey/Jen scene in this episode and it makes me wish they had interacted more in s2. I think this was their only scene.

Seeing Jen backpedaling and scheming is really sad. It's one reason I wasn't able to warm up to her character until s3. I understand that it's part of her grieving process but still not entertaining to watch. I'd rather watch her grow closer to Grams instead of Abby. At least we got more of their relationship later on.

Pacey/Andie were the highlight of the episode. They have such an easy and sparkly chemistry. Not sure if I liked the "mad beats nervous" or "we are so deep" scene more. They were special in different ways.

The Mitch/Gail stuff is just so painful in this season. I get Mitch is hurt but an open marriage won't solve anything.

JJH85

As bad as I felt for Pacey for Dawson forgetting his birthday, I didn't really hold it against Dawson because like you said, the focus can change for someone who is in a relationship and Dawson knew he had screwed up by reading Joey's Diary. I did like that Joey gave it to him , but then didn't hold it against him. She made him realize how wrong it was, but then moved past it.

I also liked this episode because it introduced Jack who became my second favourite character as the series went on.

The banter between Pacey and Andie was always fun to watch, but I also liked their scene when she gives him the magic eight ball.

One thing that bothers me to this day is the fact that they show Pacey's birthday in S2 as being warm enough that people are wearing bathing suits and splashing around in the water, but in S4 during his birthday, it's so cold that everyone is wearing winters coats and gloves. It bugs me when |I see inconsistencies like that in a show.

Oh and then there is the rain scene with Dawson and Joey

rossfangirl86

^ There was a good balance there. Joey knows Dawson well enough to know he wasn't trying to invade her privacy purposefully. If her diary hadn't been there, he probably would've never read it and he would learn from his mistake.

Who would've guess how huge of a character Jack would become? He was so quiet in those first few episodes.

Pacey/Andie have a nice balance to their scenes.

Never noticed that before but yes, that would bug me too. Unless the weather is that crazy in New England.

winterblue

JJH85, I couldn't agree more about the inconsistencies in seasons and how different the weather was during Pacey's birthday(s)...bugs me too.

I just noticed something regarding Pacey and his driving test. He is seen driving throughout the first season, did he (being his rebellious self) just drive without a license that whole time?